as a King? I really thought it was going to take some time for him to settle into life as a King but he looks as if he settled in pretty well (as well as pretty quickly). His 10 assists simply amazes me (not complaining since he is on my FNBA team) since he doesn't seem to have ever done that before. Is there something in the water in SacTown that causes a person to pass the ball more than they have ever done before in their life? Mobley isn't the defender that Doug was but he is a decent defender. I really thought that the biggest thing SacTown would miss with Doug is his leadersion (on and off the court).
SacTown got spanked in SA but their spanking of NJ came without CWebb (perhaps Miller needs to try and step up his game more often -- he seems too eager to defer to Webber (who certainly isn't the player he used to be).
We have noticed that Cutino's assist average, in the short time he has been in Sacramento, has jumped up to 4.3 per game, from 1.8 while in Orlando, and his career level of 2.7. After only 6 games, that is way too early to confirm a shift in his passing ability, but he said after last night's game that his confidence in his teammates making shots has made him want to pass the ball more. The "unknown" factor was how his court vision would be in doing that and it mostly has been very good - last night it was excellent, as some of those ten assists were perfectly thrown.
I can't figure out why he did not utilize his passing more while in Houston or Orlando. From what I've seen from him up to now, he is actually an above average passer.
I noticed that after he was removed from the game in the second half last night, he went directly up to Pete Carill and squatted in front of him for at least five minutes while the game was going on, asking him to explain a specific Princeton offensive play he flubbed just minutes earlier. 'Coachy' diagrammed the play right there for him. Carill has an absolutely incredible basketball mind, and if Mobley is on your fantasy team, you might find his stats are going to improve across the board, especially assists. The King's guards are required to be playmakers from both positions.
Its the system, Randy. If the Princeton ball-movement is fun to watch, apparently it is twice as much fun to play. Cutino is turning out to be a fast learner, though his shooting, of all things, has not been as stellar as it has been even though statistically it looks the same. He runs hot and cold.
Defensively, he has been a bit of a surprise, but the Kings are starting to use a zone more and it suits him. He has shown good anticipation.
Doug was a 'quiet' leader with the Kings, and his job of defending the toughest opponent every night led Adelman to install the zone more often now that he is gone. Cutino, on the other hand, was a bit reluctant to leave Orlando at first. Now, you can see a gleam in his eye during games, and unmasked enthusiasm afterwards discussing how things went and what to expect in the future.
He is fitting in well with the rest of the team, and they are welcoming him into their close-knit world, from what I have seen. What I have liked most about him personnally has been his throwing his body on the floor after loose balls and his drives to the basket where he often lands hard. Not that I like the idea he may hurt himself, but the activity of chasing balls and driving the lane hard are aspects sorely lacking with some of his teammates.
